Awkward First Love
by K.I.T.T. RIDER
Summary: When you fall in love for the first time, you don't always know it. Unfortunately, Kaito is completely oblivious, and, well, he's not willing to accept it. Not yet, anyway... Collection of cute one-shots and drabbles for Anxietyshipping!
1. Beginning of a Happy Vacation, or Not?

**_A/N: You guys knew this was coming eventually. The one time I decide to produce something cute gets put into a full on multi-chap story. NUUUUUUU—_**

**_Anyway, enjoy. These range from long to short, so deal._**

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The weather was cooling down, but Yuuma just thought it was a brilliant idea to go camping. His father headed the group, leading them into a rather dense forest, even though it was towards the end of October. Both Kaito and Ryouga wanted to smack the boy across the face and maybe bury him in a desert. It was so damn tempting that the blonde was wondering why he hadn't done so already.

To top it off, a few of Yuuma's other friends were coming along too. Kotori, Rio, Haruto, and for some odd reason, Droite and Gauche, had all been dragged along as well by the young duelist. Gauche was ecstatic while the three girls didn't know what to think about being pulled into something like this. Droite kept gazing around the forest as if something was going to leap out and eat her.

Ryouga smacked Yuuma upside the head for what seemed like the umpteenth time tonight. "For hell's sakes, Yuuma, you couldn't have given us peace for more than a _day_?"

"Oh, hush, Shark," the younger boy teased. "You're going to enjoy it."

"Like hell I am—"

"There's a stream near the campground." Yuuma smirked. "I heard that you like to swim."

At that, Rio started giggling while her brother simply blushed and crossed his arms. The WATER duelist fell back until he was at the back, behind Kaito, who was practically trailing behind everyone because he didn't want to speak to anyone. Haruto was too busy being entertained by Kazuma that he had left his brother alone.

Kaito didn't mind Ryouga walking beside him, carrying a large pack with a sleeping bag and a few other necessities. The Dragon Tamer also had some of his own, having been forced to also pull along a rather large cooler (Kazuma had stated that Kaito should be a little more helpful with things, in which the blonde had responded in his mind with, _I do enough already, geez_.). The accursed box made loud thumping noises as it was yanked around the rough terrain, the soda and food being stored there probably flying all over the place inside.

At least he had something other than the mixed emotions for a certain girl to distract him. Ever since the end of the Barian War, Kaito had noticed that he was feeling a tug to the Butterfly Duelist, but he didn't have a clue as to why. Yes, they were good friends, but Kaito believed that Gauche's career was more important to Droite than anything else at the moment, so the blonde didn't research the subject any further. But it still bothered him, and as much as he would have liked to ignore it, he couldn't keep his mind off of it.

_Damn._ Now he was thinking about it again.

Unfortunately for the blonde duelist, he wasn't exactly paying attention any longer to the trail. He still followed the group, but his eyes didn't see the root that caught his foot and tripped him up. Before he fell on his face, an arm caught him and steadied him. Kaito gazed at the person who had caught him; Droite, whose orange eyes were dulled out. He nodded at her, letting her know that he was fine. Her lips curved into a shy smile, and she let go of him to join the rest of the group.

Ryouga, who was still slightly close to Kaito, yelled out, "For hell's sakes, blondie, get your head together!"

"S-Shut up, fish-head!" Kaito yelled back with a snarl, glaring at the WATER duelist before following the others.

He really had to shut his mind off before he ended up breaking something.

…

…

"At least it's a clearing and not a whole cluster of trees," Droite murmured, rubbing her sweater-covered arms. She gazed at Kaito, who stood beside her, catching his breath. Her expression lightened just barely, and she felt the urge to reach out and grab his hand. Thankfully, it was dark, and the moon was a thin crescent, so her blush couldn't be seen.

Kazuma stretched as he strode to the middle of the clearing. "We'll set the tents around the outside," he stated. "Each tent can hold up to three people, although there's one that can hold four."

Haruto suddenly jumped out from behind Yuuma, waving his hands. "Nii-san and I will take that tent, please!" he yelled, smiling brightly.

Kaito could only sigh in defeat as Kazuma agreed to it and told everyone to start setting the tents up. Rio, Kotori, and Droite were all going to share one tent while Gauche, Ryouga, and Yuma shared another. Kazuma got one to his own and the Tenjo brothers were using the largest one. The blonde brought his hand to his eyes for a moment and shook his head before dropping his pack to the ground and going to find the large tent.

After maybe a half hour or so of _where the hell does this go, how does this work, did you pack the s'mores?,_ Kaito and Haruto had somehow managed to get the tent up. The blonde was busying himself with throwing blankets onto the flimsy plastic floor when Haruto bounded out, leaving his poor brother with setting up the sleeping bags, among other things. Taking off his jacket, he burrowed through one of the packs, searching for the kid's blue sleeping bag.

A tentative voice came from outside, and Kaito turned to see Droite poking her head in through the floppy entrance. "Um, can I speak with you, Kaito?"

The blonde sat back on his knees, one of his hands still inside the backpack. "Not now, Droite," he replied. "Maybe when everyone else has gone to bed, okay?"

"S-Sure." She sounded nervous, but she quietly retreated back to where everyone was gathering around a small campfire. Kaito frowned, not exactly liking the tone the woman's voice had taken on. Something was wrong, he knew that, but she would be fine as long as her friends were around her.

_Okay, so where the hell did I place that thing…_

…

"S'mores, dude, s'mores!" Yuuma stated drowsily, waving his stick in the air. On the end were three flaming marshmallows, which burned crimson against the black sky. Kaito raised an eyebrow as he absentmindedly chewed the gooey s'more that Haruto had made for him. Leaning back against a log, the blonde watched as Ryouga chucked a piece of chocolate in Yuuma's direction. The sugary goodness landed behind the red spikes of the young duelist's hair, and he got it out by shaking his head violently.

Kotori rolled her eyes. "Yuuma, quit playing with your food," she scolded, flicking his nose. He sneezed, which caused the girl to back away slightly in disgust.

Haruto tugged at Kaito's blue hoodie. "Nii-san, you gonna have any more?" the little boy questioned, his golden eyes bright even in the darkness.

It was then that Kaito realized he had finished the tasty treat and was using his tongue like a chew toy. He smiled a bit, gazing at his younger brother; dammit, why did he have to be so damn adorable? "Nah, Haruto; one's good enough for me."

"And you!" Yuuma had apparently overheard the reply, and turned to glare at the blonde. Kazuma simply sweat-dropped as he watched his son go over the moon with sugar. "You've only had one! You ain't gonna be fulfilled till you have ten!"

Ryouga punched Yuuma in the stomach, making the younger duelist fall to the ground and fake-cry. "Shut up before I force all that sugar you ingested to come back up," the male Kamishiro warned, earning a laugh from his sister. Gauche smirked while Droite and Kotori just stared without expression.

After Yuuma cried himself a river and had swallowed another four s'mores, the group started to deteriorate. Kotori and Rio said they wanted to talk about 'girly things' together and had retreated to the tent they shared. Haruto was exhausted, so Kaito put him down and sung him a lullaby before the boy fell asleep. Soon Yuuma was too damn tired from the sugar crash he had, and was dragged into a tent by Ryouga, who grumbled lots of obscenities as he did so. Gauche and Kazuma split after about another hour, with Yuuma's dad telling the remaining two to put out the fire once they went to bed.

This left just Kaito and Droite left. The female duelist had her arms hugged tightly to her body, and her eyes were shut. She looked truly afraid, as if camping gave her a bad vibe or something. The blonde sat beside her on the log she had herself perched up.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" he asked quietly, to not disturb the others.

She took a deep breath, calming herself down. Still, she continued to shake. "Sorry, I'm having an anxiety attack right now…"

"It's fine," he replied, sympathetic with her; he had panic attacks every now and then, and those were not fun. "Just give yourself some time."

While Droite shook and breathed deeply to get her heart to slow down, Kaito kept his gaze on the ground. His nerves were hypersensitive in anticipation; he could only guess as to what she was going to tell him. Sure, he knew that she had a soft spot for him, but he honestly didn't know how far that attraction went.

"Kaito…" she whispered to get his attention. His grey/blue eyes were glowing in the orange light of the fire. She kept her gaze on those beautiful irises of his, clinging to any sense of calm she had. "What am I to you?"

Kaito was taken aback by the question. Maybe he should have expected the question, maybe he shouldn't have, but either way, he wasn't prepared to answer it. After a second of staring at her, he turned his head away and locked his gaze on the fire. It crackled in the tense silence.

A few moments later, he felt a hand over his own, squeezing his fingers gently. He looked over at Droite, whose eyes were shining with unshed tears as she looked away, finding the ground much more interesting than he was.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, letting his hand go and stood. "I'll just go to bed."

"Droite, wait—" But she was already to the tent within a few strides. Sighing hard, Kaito dropped his head and kicked a rock into the fire. The wood there was undisturbed by his actions, and he grabbed the bucket of leftover water Kazuma had left out to put out the fire. He dumped it on the blaze and instantly it died.

Kaito simply dropped the bucket and went to his tent, where it took him a while before he fell asleep.

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**_A/N: Awkward love always ends up this way, doesn't it? XD Now go hit that review button with your nose!_**


	2. Sleeping Bag Confessions

**_A/N: *screams really loud* I can't stop the cuteness, okay?!_**

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It was somewhere between one and three in the morning when Kaito felt something crawl over beside him. Of course, he was mostly asleep and figured it was his little brother moving closer to him. But when the figure came in nearly full on contact with the outside of his sleeping bag, he knew it wasn't his brother; this person had curves and was a lot taller than Haruto was. The blonde opened one eye to see that a girl had slithered her way beside him and was shaking like crazy.

"Droite? Is that you?" he inquired in a sharp whisper; he didn't exactly like the intrusion.

A tiny gasp was heard, and the female duelist lifted her head, her orange eyes glowing with tears. "I'm sorry, Kaito… I'll leave now if you want me to." Making a move to get up, she was surprised when he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"What's wrong?" he inquired. "I've never seen you so… well, distraught before." He was genuinely concerned, since this woman, who was known for her strict use of emotions and hardly ever lost her cool, looked like she was close to breaking down.

"I…" She shook her head, gently pushing his hand off of her arm. "It's a long story."

The blonde sat up, yawning. His sleeping bag pooled around his waist. She kneeled back, staring at him. "Since I'm awake, I've got the time," he replied. "But if you're honestly uncomfortable with telling me, you don't have to."

The woman stayed silent, her head drooping. Quiet drips could be heard bouncing off the waterproof material of Kaito's sleeping bag as she cried her silent tears. After a few moments of silence, Droite got the courage to speak. "I don't like forests or the dark," she murmured, so softly that the blonde had to strain to hear her. "I'm scared and cold and I just… I'm overwhelmed by it."

"Is it because of what Tron did to you?" he asked, treading lightly on the subject; he knew full well that she suffered PTSD because of what that bastard did to her. Before Kaito knew what he was doing, he was clenching a blanket in his fingers, anger towards the man-turned-child boiling under his skin.

"Yeah…" she said, confirming his suspicions. "The fire made it worse; that's why I didn't eat any of the s'mores."

Kaito bit his lower lip, letting the anger slide for the moment; getting riled up wouldn't help the situation. Droite was letting him in to her lower layers, beyond the wall she had built around herself. Her tough façade was falling apart and he was the first person (as far as he knew, anyway) to see her in this state. Her gaze met his, and instantly his heart throbbed; seeing her so scared, almost like a frightened child, made his soul ache.

_I think I've got a soft spot for her_, he thought, and it didn't bother him too much. "Well… what do you want to do about it?" he asked tentatively.

She sniffed, wiping some of her tears away. Still shaking, she whispered, "Do you mind if I sleep in here with you?"

Kaito shook his head. "I don't mind," he replied. "I'm not going to do anything bad to you, I promise," he added, earning a quiet giggle from her. A blush lit up his face at the noise, but he ignored it. Lying back down, he brought the top of the sleeping bag to his neck to conserve heat.

Droite decided to take the same place she had laid out before, bringing her knees close to her chest and wrapping her arms tightly around her shins, keeping herself in a ball. She was shivering, possibly freezing (the blonde had been forced to wear a shirt and sweats because it was so cold), and another pang stabbed his heart.

"Come here," he said, zipping open his sleeping bag and opening it up, inviting her inside. "You'll freeze if you stay out of a sleeping bag."

She didn't know what to do, gazing at him, dumbfounded. "Are you sure, Kaito?" she asked nervously, her wide eyes on his.

Kaito nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine with it," he replied. "There's enough room in here for, like, a village," he joked, smiling gently at her.

Droite swallowed hard and slid in beside him. As soon as he had zipped it back up, she pushed back as much as she could, limiting the contact between their bodies; she was far more embarrassed than she should have been and, therefore, she was uncomfortable. But he was radiating heat, and she found herself drawn to the warmth, like a moth to a flame.

Their faces were unbelievably close. Kaito shifted around, ending up on his side and having his gaze lock with hers. It was tight inside the sleeping bag, but somehow it felt… right. She was inching closer to him, trying to absorb the heat, and he honestly didn't care.

"You can, um, lay against me if you're cold," he said hesitantly. Droite gazed up at him for a second before she wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself against his body. The blonde went tense, not knowing what to do. But feeling her still shaking in fear gave him the extra push to gently drew her in with his own arms, hugging her tightly.

They fell asleep like that, enjoying each other's warmth.

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**_A/N: They have a lot of explaining to do in the morning! XD Anyway, smack the review button with your nose! SMACK IT HARD. xD_**


	3. Sleeping Bag Problems

**_A/N: Well, I must admit, I'm dying of cuteness too, my bros. *listens to adorable music* _**

**_Anyway, enjoy._**

**_ Also, a notice to trolls: you don't scare or bother me. You're simply a part of what I do, so I'll deal._**

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Haruto woke up slowly, blinking rapidly as the morning sun pierced his eyes. He winced, covering his eyes and turning to the side. Yawning, he dropped his hands and stared across the makeshift room, at where his brother was sleeping. The little boy, however, was shocked to see Droite snuggled up against Kaito, her head tucked underneath his chin, her nose pressed into his shirt. Haruto was equally surprised when he noticed that his brother was holding the woman close, as if to protect her.

Despite his efforts, the boy broke into laughter. His hands shot to his mouth, desperately trying to stifle his giggles. Neither Kaito nor Droite awoke at this; they were too busy wrapped in each other's grip to really give half a damn at all. Haruto held a pillow up to his face, only allowing his eyes to be seen over the fluffy object, and hurriedly climbed out of the tent before he woke up the sleeping lovebirds (at least, that's what he called them!).

When the younger Tenjou stepped out, Kaito shifted, opening his eyes. His arms were numb, so he tried to move them, but then he realized that he had a girl in his arms. A blush overcame his cheeks, dyeing his pale cheeks a dark pink. Droite was peacefully asleep in his embrace, her hands clutching the front of his shirt, her head tucked underneath his chin, her face pressed to his collarbone. She was no longer shaking, but for some odd reason, that didn't satisfy him.

_Ah, hell no_, he thought to himself, biting the inside of his cheek. _I am _not_ in love with her_.

A soft moan came from her, and she rolled sideways. The sleeping bag held them both tightly, so when she moved, he ended up going with her. Landing on top of her, his legs between hers, he grumbled out a curse and searched for the zipper.

_Damn_. It was underneath Droite. He would have to wake her in order to get the damn zipper undone. Pulling his arms out from under her, he grasped her shoulder and shook her gently.

"Droite," he called to her in a hushed tone. "C'mon Droite, you gotta wake up."

She huffed, her eyes slowly opening as she yawned. Kaito couldn't help but find that adorable. (Wait, what?!) Blinking a few times, she cleared the haze from her gaze and glanced at him in confusion. "Eh? K… Kaito?"

"Don't freak out, okay?" Shifting around, he accidently grazed her pelvis with his, and he held back a shiver of pleasure at the movement. "You dragged me on top of you when you rolled over."

Droite blushed, a red tone darkening her pale face. "Sorry," she murmured in shame, dropping her hands from his shirt.

The blonde shook his head. "It's fine, Droite, honestly. But now, I need you to roll with me so I can get to the zipper, alright?"

That explained the thing digging into her shoulder blades. "Yeah," she nodded. "Whenever you're ready."

_Let's hope we can get this done without anyone seeing us like this_, he thought, placing his hands on her sides. She squirmed slightly, but managed to calm down before she made any loud noises. Without giving a countdown or warning, he rolled over onto his back, taking Droite with him. She landed on his chest, her lips nearly crashing into his. They stared at each other in what seemed like horror for a few seconds before Kaito managed to get his arms around her and to the zipper.

A few moments later, the sleeping bag slid open, and Droite placed her hands on Kaito's chest, pushing herself upward. Sitting up, she didn't even realize that she was straddling him.

"Sorry about that," she apologized again, blushing as she slid off of him. The blonde duelist sat up, drawing his legs out of the bag and kicking it aside.

"I said it was fine, Droite," he grumbled, knitting his eyebrows together. "You don't have to keep apologizing."

Dropping her head as she nodded, she turned away from him and collected her shoes from the front of the tent. "Should we go out together or do you want me to go first?"

"Let's go together," he replied. "That way, the suspicion won't be so bad." The male duelist had thought this through as soon as he had woken up. Haruto had already gotten up and left, so that meant the fact that Droite and Kaito had spent the night together could already be circulating. What people thought they did, however, wasn't much up to debate. Girl plus guy plus sleeping bag equals nothing good.

Kaito followed Droite to the entrance of the tent, sliding into his tennis shoes before stepping out alongside her. Apparently it had rained last night, for the ground was damp and dark brown, and everything looked lively. Only Haruto, Ryouga, and Rio were up, which wasn't surprising. But the smug expressions they had were definitely expected.

"And our lovebirds awaken," Ryouga stated, smirking wider. "Haruto says you guys were in a sleeping bag together."

Droite sent and ice cold glare at the WATER duelist, her orange eyes frightening. Kaito rolled his eyes as he and the woman walked together over to the logs that the small group was gathered on. "Nothing happened, asshole," the blonde growled dangerously.

"From the shapes that were inside that tent a little while ago, I say not," Rio said, winking. Kaito glared at her, too; why the hell did she and her brother insist on teasing him like this?!

The Butterfly Duelist sent a warning glance at Rio. The Kamishiro girl got the message and instantly stopped snickering. Her brother, however, didn't get the message.

Haruto watched in amusement as his brother was teased. Ryouga nodded his head. "You still sure that nothing happened between you two?"

"Damn sure, Ryouga." Droite was the one who had spoken, not Kaito. She was obviously not happy with the younger guy's antics, but he simply laughed.

"I'm just joshing you," he replied, tying his octopus hair up into a ponytail. "No need to bite my head off."

The rest of the morning was spent in somewhat normal bliss.

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**_A/N: Kinda boring at the end, but y'know, I ran out of steam for this chapter. Oh well. Anyway, Ja ne, and slap that review button with your elbow!_**


	4. Nighttime Kisses

**_A/N: Meow, enjoy this chapter._**

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Around noon, Kazuma decided to have everyone gather by the stream, located just a short walk from the camp. It was warming up, enough for a nice swim in the cool water. After the incident this morning with a certain couple, however, things were a bit… tense. Kaito kept his distance from Droite, and she likewise did the same. She was back to her regular stoic self, scolding Gauche every now and again for acting so childish. The blonde just kept by his brother and ignored all the questions that Haruto threw at him.

Kotori eyed the two in interest. Standing beside Yuuma and waiting for Kazuma to come back from the camp, she felt the urge to speak with Kaito. Yuuma was too busy shoving a giant sandwich down his throat, nearly choking on his tongue a few times, so she patted his shoulder before striding over to the Dragon Tamer.

"Kaito," she said, snapping her fingers in front of his face. He focused on her for a second before dropping his eyes back down to the ground. "Hey, I need to talk to you."

"About what," he grumbled. Haruto poked his brother in the stomach, making the blonde tense.

"C'mon nii-san, go and talk to her," the boy said, unlocking his arms from around his brother's waist and bounding over to Yuuma.

Kaito huffed, locking his gaze with the girl and scowling. "What do you want, Kotori?" he questioned, his expression irritated.

Kotori crossed her arms. "Not here," she ordered. "Let's go off where I can speak to you without Yuuma or Ryouga popping in."

Without wait for a reply, she grabbed his arm and yanked him deeper into the forest, away from the group. Droite hadn't seemed to notice; or, she did, and just didn't care. After a few moments of trekking through a large collection of foliage and trees, Kotori stopped, letting go of the blonde's arm before turning to him.

Her big hazel eyes narrowed on him. "Okay, Kaito, you can talk now," she said sternly. "And before you say _it's nothing,_ lemme get one thing straight: ever since you and Droite were seen coming out of that tent, you two haven't even looked at each other once, so it's obviously not nothing."

"It's my business, Kotori, not yours," he grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning against a tree. Actually, he didn't want anyone to know that his emotions were so messed up that even he didn't know why he felt so bummed out that he couldn't talk to Droite without feeling ashamed.

The girl was obviously not happy with his answer. She huffed, came up to him, and slapped him across the face. He winced, rubbing his cheek, and glared at her. "Kaito, get your goddamn head together!" she practically yelled at him. "Do you even know what Droite feels for you?"

"Well, no—" Again, he was interrupted by her.

"Then you should grow a pair and tell her how you feel," Kotori stated, crossing her arms. "It's damn obvious that you're in love with her; I've noticed it since we first went to Spartan City looking for the Legendary Numbers. You're head-over-heels for her and you don't even realize it." Glaring at him, she frowned. "Now, I'm going to leave you be, considering how you are… but do ponder what I've said."

After Kotori had run off, Kaito sighed and rubbed his temples. Was that what this feeling was, this ache in his heart every time he was away from Droite? Could it be, that the great Galaxy-Eyes wielder and current Dragon Tamer Tenjou Kaito could be in love? No, it wasn't possible; besides, he barely even… no, he did know Droite on a deeper level, but… it wasn't as personal as his heart wanted it to be.

_Goddammit_. Covering his eyes, he laughed at the sky. He really was a blubbering fool. Shaking his head, he dropped his arm and went back to the group.

…

…

When nighttime finally came, everyone was satisfied for the day. Ryouga and Yuuma had fought the majority of the day (more like the former tossed things at the latter while Yuuma simply stuck his tongue out and dodged the projectiles). Rio and Kotori had shared girl gossip. Gauche joined in with Yuuma to tease the poor WATER duelist. Droite had watched everything from a nearby tree, having climbed up it while Kaito was being scolded by the green-haired girl. The blonde had simply sat by a tree and observed Kazuma teaching Haruto how to play volleyball in the water.

Yuuma was sorting through a bag, hunting for supplies for more s'mores. Kaito could only stare at the young duelist in shock; how the boy managed to eat so much sugar and food without getting full or sick was still a mystery to all of his friends. Ryouga was glowering at Yuuma while holding a can of Coke, which he had stolen from Gauche's collection of soda earlier.

Kotori brushed by the blonde, who was standing in front of his tent, spraying out a few bugs which had manifested inside. Her expression told him that she wanted him to do something, but he brushed it off, hoping to get through the night without a hitch. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he zipped up the tent and started toward the fire that Kazuma was building.

A hand was on his shoulder before he could go anywhere, and he looked back to see Droite, who had her head lowered so her bangs hid her eyes. He raised an eyebrow at her as she dropped her hand.

"Kaito, can we go somewhere and talk?" she asked quietly, sounding dejected. The blonde frowned, turning to face her.

"I guess," he replied. Before anyone noticed, they slipped away into the trees, hoping for the darkness to conceal them as they spoke.

Kaito stood in front of Droite, who leaned back against a tree, her gaze remaining on the grass underneath their feet. She was shaking again, trembling so much that he could clearly see it. Her breathing was ragged, but she managed to somehow look him in the eye.

"Kaito, about the other night," she began, swallowing hard, "You never did answer my question."

"About what you mean to me?" he clarified. She nodded, and he sighed deeply. "Droite, you're a great friend, and I like that about you. I…" He stopped, unable to really say anything else. He couldn't force himself to; rather, he didn't want to.

Droite held one of her arms with the other, clutching her elbow tightly. "Say what you have to; I don't mind…" Even though she could say that, she didn't feel like it; her soul was tearing itself to shreds over this. She loved him far too much to let him go.

"Droite, I don't know what I feel for you," Kaito said, avoiding her gaze. "I don't know what I feel, because I don't want to admit to anything I do feel."

Her expression dropped. But she stepped forward, towards him, and grasped his hands in hers. "Kaito, let me tell you something," she said. He dragged his eyes over to look down at her. "I'm sure that… you must know what I feel for you," she began, nervously, "And it's true. I am… in love with you, and even if… even if you fall for somebody else, I'll stay by your side. No matter what you do, I'll always stay by your side."

Kaito simply stared blankly at her, his mind in a state of shock. So it was true; she truly did love him to the point where she devoted herself to him. That's why she fought Tron. That was why she had defended him so fiercely in the World Duel Carnival. And that was why she continued to be there when he was in trouble, helping him the best she could.

Everything made sense now. His emotions clicked into place, and he finally understood exactly what this ache was in his heart. He wrapped her in a tight hug, placing his chin on top of her head, listening to her squeak in surprise.

"K-Kaito?" The female duelist wasn't sure what to do. She didn't struggle against the blonde's embrace, simply staying where she was with her hands on his shoulders. He slowly pulled his head back, resting his forehead against hers, eyes closed.

A blush crept onto her face, but she closed her eyes. Her breath mingled with his as they breathed, and he moved his head slightly, the side of his nose brushing hers gently. Taking that as an invitation, she tilted her head a bit to one side, pressing forward, seeing if he took the hint. When he shifted forward, she held her breath. Kaito broke the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers.

Droite couldn't believe what was happening, but she went with the moment, sliding her hands up to the back of his neck, her fingers just barely in his hair. His hands went to the small of her back, holding her close. It wasn't the greatest kiss, but it wasn't absolutely horrible either. His lips were soft as they melded to hers, caressing her carefully. Even if this wasn't a French kiss, she could taste a hint of mint on his breath as he breathed into her, filling her lungs with the air from his own.

Pulling back, he rested his forehead against hers again, blushing deeply. She smiled, bringing her hands back down to rest on his chest, she kept her eyes closed, just enjoying the moment.

"Kaito?" she spoke after a few moments of comfortable silence. Opening her eyes, she gazed at him (going slightly cross-eyed from the short amount of distance between them).

"Mm?" he asked, his own grey/blue irises meeting hers.

She didn't say anything, just tilted her head and kissed him again. He went along with it, pressing her back against the tree. The bark dug into her back, but she liked it. Droite sighed in bliss, feeling Kaito's hands go lower and grip her hips.

"Hey Kai—whoa!"

Yuuma's voice broke the moment, and Droite and Kaito immediately peeled off of each other, clearing their throats and looking at the young teen boy, who just blinked. It was obvious that Yuuma was caught off-guard and then some by the scene.

"U-Um, what just happened?" the boy asked. Droite tucked one of her bangs behind her ears, brushing down her sweater to get the wrinkles out of it. Kaito was rubbing the back of his head, not knowing what to say.

It took a second for the gears in Yuuma's brain to click together, but he finally understood what the hell was going on after a few awkward, tense moments. "Oh, I see. Well, sorry to intrude. I'll be going back now…"

Trailing off, he hurried backwards through the trees, back to the camp, leaving Droite and Kaito awkwardly looking at each other.

"Well, he ruined the moment," she joked, smiling. He nodded, remaining silent. "Should we go back?" she asked, holding out her hand. He reached out towards her and took her hand, interlocking their fingers.

Well, everyone was throrougly surprised when they saw Droite and Kaito come back, holding hands.

_I don't care_, he thought. _I'm happy._

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**_A/N: He still doesn't know if he's truly in love with her, but dammit, it's obvious XD_**

**_Anyway, slap that review button with your face!_**


	5. Help Me, Hug Me

**_A/N: Thanks y'all for the reviews!_**

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After an hour of trying to explain to the others that they weren't entirely "official" (ah, hell, Kaito, keep telling yourself that), the blonde Tenjou was grateful to plop down on his sleeping bag in a new pair of sweats and his worn hoodie. He sighed hard, watching as his new girlfriend made her way into the tent alongside Haruto. The little boy goes to his own sleeping bag while the woman drags in hers.

Kaito could tell that something was bothering Droite, but he didn't ask her about it. He knew the importance of keeping one's past hidden; and that Duel with Tron damaged her far beyond what she was able to withstand. Her eyes remained on the plastic floor, even as the two Tenjo brothers moved their stuff so she could wiggle her way between them.

When Haruto was out, Kaito having sung him a lullaby again, the blonde turned to look at his girlfriend and saw her burying her face into the thickness of her violet sleeping bag. She obviously was dealing with something on her mind. Slipping into his bag, he left it down slightly, wrapping one arm around her and bringing her against him.

He just hoped she didn't freak out too badly tonight.

…

…

Droite woke up at about two in the morning. Her heart pounded, her lungs furiously trying to get oxygen into her body. Trembling, she sat up, wiping her face of sweat and tears. About to give a cry of anguish, she suddenly realized that she was on a camping trip with Yuuma's father, and that she was now in Kaito's tent, lying next to him and his little brother. Nearly choking on her own voice, she climbed quietly out of her bag and went outside the tent, taking her slippers with her.

Tendrils of the dream lingered in her mind, threatening to overwhelm her again. Even if she and Tron were on good terms now, the hatred she felt for him was still there, and the fear from every nightmare and hallucination she had from what he did to her always clutched her heart. She was soft now, and all because of that goddamn man-child.

Treading out in her black leggings and large grey shirt, she went over to the doused fire and sat on one of the logs around it. Holding her arms close to herself, she dropped her head and allowed herself to cry.

This was PTSD. She'd had it for almost an entire year now, having been trying to get over what happened during the WDC. Not even the Barian War could top this agony she felt. Not even Kaito dying, which had torn her to shreds, could cause something this bad. The nightmares were getting worse, and sometimes the flashbacks would cause her to hallucinate. She had already tried twice to choke her poor partner to death after having a particularly bad day, which had triggered the flashbacks and so on.

Rubbing at her arm, which held very faint scars of the double helix-shaped tentacles Tron had used to render her helpless during their duel, she managed to stifle her tears enough to see around the dark campsite. The trees loomed over the clearing, splitting the moonlight into several pieces. The female duelist sighed, rubbing her face with her sleeve. She was pretty sure she looked horrible right about now, but it didn't matter; at least they were going home tomorrow. She hated this place.

"You okay?"

The voice belonged to Kaito, so Droite didn't immediately freak out. She turned her gaze to him, narrowing her eyes on him.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" she asked, harsher than she meant it to be. Before she could apologize, he raised his hand and sat down beside her.

"I get it; your nightmares are breaking down your resolve." The blonde Tenjou crossed his arms, blinking sleep from his eyes. "I was like that too during my days of Number Hunting."

"I guess…" At least he didn't have PTSD; hell, it looked like he didn't have any disorders except the hole in his heart that needed to be fixed before he had a stroke. She envied him just a bit for that, but she swatted it down hard; she loved him too much to have any negative emotions towards him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked tentatively, reaching out and taking her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles.

Droite considered it. She knew Yuuma had told Kaito about what happened during the duel, but her mind always seemed to amplify the effect, adding torturous events that hadn't happened. "No, not really," she replied, after thinking about it for a moment. She felt him squeeze her hand, letting her know that he understood.

She leaned against him, exhaustion pouring into her. Kaito wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders, letting her lean her head in the crook of his neck. Her breathing was laboured, but steady, so he just held her, hoping to calm her.

After a few moments, Droite was shivering. The cold was getting to her, seeping into her bones. She looked up to see Kaito on the verge of falling asleep again, his eyes fluttering shut, only to open back up again. His head lie on top of hers, his arm loosening its grip and slipping down to her waist.

"Feel like sleeping in the same bag tonight?" she asked before he could pass out. Without really thinking, he nodded, and she gave him a kiss on the nose for that as they stood. He trailed behind her as they went back inside the tent. Haruto, thankfully, stayed asleep the entire time, even after the couple had somehow managed to get inside Kaito's sleeping bag again.

It wasn't long before they were both out again.

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**_A/N: Short, sweet, and oh-so cute. Anyway, prepare yourselves for a slight time-jump! Hit that review button with your face!_**


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